F 

1563 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


ROOK  COMPANY 
PANAMA  CANAL 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


TTTe   PANAMA  CANAL 


I     The  Land  Divided  Fin  The  World  Unvted 


' 





A  Pidtorial  Review  of  its  Construction 

together  with  Statistical 

Information 


COPYRIGHT  1912  BY  JAMES  H.  ROOK  COMPANY.  CHICAGO 


ZONE  POLICE 

These  men  are  a  semi-military  organization  very  like  the 

Canadian  Mounted  Police.     They  are  a  splendid 

body  of  men  and  have  brought  law  and  order 

into  the  Zone.     The  majority  of  the 

men  are  Spanish  War  Veterans 


COPYRIGHT  BY 
UNDERWOOD  i  UNDERWOOD 

COLONEL  GEO.  W.  GOETHALS 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  Panama 
Canal,  in  his  Office  at  Panama 

The  greatest  living  engineer  in 
charge  of  the  biggest  engineering 
undertaking  in  the  wprld — not  only 
an  engineer  but  a  highly  efficient 
business  executive  who  has  "made 
the  dirt  fly"  to  such  a  good  purpose 
that  the  great  ditch  will  be  com- 
pleted before  the  schedule  time, 
and  within  the  cost  provided  by 
the  Government. 


The  Panama  Canal 

VERY  American  citizen  justly  takes  pride  in 
this  great  national  undertaking,  and  interest 
deepens  as  its  completion  draws  near. 

We  have  therefore  gathered  the  authentic  views  con- 
tained in  this  book,  and  present  them  to  our  friends  and 
patrons  so  they  may  see  the  actual  construction  of  this 
great  Canal,  which  "divides  the  land  and  unites  the  world." 

In  addition  to  the  views,  we  present  valuable  statistics 
compiled  direct  from  official  Government  reports,  giving 
in  concise  form  a  good  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  this 
enterprise.  Thus  the  book  possesses  historical  interest 
and  educational  value,  especially  for  the  rising  generation, 
which  will  be  even  greater  after  the  Canal  is  completed, 
as  it  will  then  be  impossible  to  obtain  these  views. 


HE  entire  length  of  the  Canal  from  deep  water  in  the  Atlantic  to  deep  water  in 
the  Pacific  is  about  50  miles.  Its  length  from  shore-line  to  shore-line  is  about 
40  miles.  In  passing  through  it  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  a  vessel  will 
enter  the  approach  channel  in  Limon  Bay,  which  will  have  a  bottom  width  of 
500  feet  and  extend  to  Gatun,  a  distance  of  about  seven  miles.  At  Gatun,  it  will  enter  a 
series  of  three  locks  in  flight  and  be  lifted  85  feet  to  the  level  of  Gatun  Lake.  It  may 
steam  at  full  speed  through  this  lake,  in  a  channel  varying  from  1,000  to  500  feet  in  width, 
for  a  distance  of  about  24  miles,  to  Bas  Obispo,  where  it  will  enter  the  Culebra  Cut.  It 
will  pass  through  the  Cut,  a  distance  of  about  nine  miles,  in  a  channel  with  a  bottom  width 
of  300  feet,  to  Pedro  Miguel.  There  it  will  enter  a  lock  and  be  lowered  30  1-3  feet  to  a  small 
lake,  at  an  elevation  of  542-3  feet  above  sea  level,  and  will  pass  through  this  for  about  \y2 
miles  to  Miraflores.  There  it  will  enter  two  locks  in  series  and  be  lowered  to  sea  level, 
passing  out  into  the  Pacific  through  a  channel  about  Sl/2  miles  in  length,  with  a  bottom  width 
of  500  feet.  The  depth  of  the  approach  channel  on  the  Atlantic  side,  where  the  maximum 
tidal  oscillation  is  2}^  feet,  will  be  41  feet  at  mean  tide,  and  on  the  Pacific  side,  where  the 
maximum  oscillation  is  21  feet,  the  depth  will  be  45  feet  at  mean  tide. 

Throughout  the  first  16  miles  from  Gatun,  the  width  of  the  Lake  channel  .  will  be 
1,000  feet;  then  for  4  miles  it  will  be  800  feet,  and  for  4  miles  more,  to  the  northern 
entrance  of  Culebra  Cut  at  Bas  Obispo,  it  will  be  500  feet.  The  depth  will  vary  from 


85  to  45  feet.  The  water  level  in  the  Cut  will  be  that  of  the  Lake,  the  depth  45  feet, 
and  the  bottom  width  of  the  channel  300  feet. 

Three  hundred  feet  is  the  minimum  bottom  width  of  the  Canal.  This  width  begins 
about  half  a  mile  above  Pedro  Miguel  locks  and  extends  about  8  miles  through  Culebra 
Cut,  with  the  exception  that  at  all  angles  the  channel  is  widened  sufficiently  to  allow  a 
thousand-foot  vessel  to  make  the  turn.  The  Cut  has  eight  angles,  or  about  one  to  every 
mile.  The  300-foot  widths  are  only  on  tangents  between  the  turning  basins  at  the  an- 
gles. The  smallest  of  these  angles  is  7°  36',  and  the  largest  30°. 

The  Canal  Zone  contains  about  448  square  miles.  It  begins  at  a  point  three  marine 
miles  from  mean  low  water  mark  in  each  ocean,  and  extends  for  five  miles  on  each  side 
of  the  center  line  of  the  route  of  the  Canal.  It  includes  the  group  of  islands  in  the  Bay 
of  Panama  named  Perico,  Naos,  Culebra,  and  Flamenco.  The  cities  of  Panama  and  Colon 
are  excluded  from  the  Zone,  but  the  United  States  has  the  right  to  enforce  sanitary  or- 
dinances in  those  cities,  and  to  maintain  public  order  in  them  in  case  the  Republic  of 
Panama  should  not  be  able,  in  the  judgment  of  the  United  States,  to  do  so. 

Of  the  448  square  miles  of  Zone  territory,  the  United  States  owns  the  larger  portion, 
the  exact  amount  of  which  is  being  determined  by  survey.  Under  the  treaty  with  Panama, 
the  United  States  has  the  right  to  acquire  by  purchase,  of  by  the  exercise  of  the  right 
of  eminent  domain,  any  lands,  buildings,  water  rights,  or  other  properties  necessary  and 
convenient  for  the  construction,  maintenance,  operation,  sanitation,  and  protection  of  the 
Canal,  and  it  can,  therefore,  at  any  time  acquire  the  lands  within  the  Zone  boundaries 
which  are  owned  by  private  persons. 


Canal  Statistics 


Authorized  by  Act  of  Congress,  June  28,  1902 


Length  from  deep  water  to  deep  wa- 
ter (miles) 

Length  from  shore-line  to  shore-line 
(miles)  

Bottom  width  of  channel,  maximum 
(feet) 

Bottom  width  of  channel,  minimum, 
9  miles,  Culebra  Cut  (feet) 

Locks,  in  pairs 

Locks,  usable  length  (feet) 

Locks,  usable  width  (feet) 

Gatun  Lake,  area  (square  miles) 

Gatun  Lake,  channel  depth  (feet) .  . . 

Culebra  Cut,  channel  depth  (feet) . .  . 

Excavation,  estimated  total  (cubic 
yards)  

Excavation,  amount  accomplished 
May  1,  1911  (cubic  yards) 

Excavation  by  the  French  (cubic 
yards)  

Excavation  by  French,  useful  to  pres- 
ent Canal  (cubic  yards) 


182,537,766 

137,750,520 

78,146,960 

29,908,000 


Excavation    by    French,    estimated 

value  to  Canal $25,389,240 

Value  of  all  French  property $42,799,826 

Concrete,  total  estimated  for  Canal 

(cubic  yards) 5,000,000 

Time  of  transit  through  completed 

Canal  (hours) 10  to  12 

Time  of  passage  through  locks 

(hours)  3 

Relocated  Panama  Railroad,  esti- 
mated cost $9,000,000 

Relocated  Panama  Railroad,  length 

(miles)  47.1 

Canal  Zone,  area  (square  miles) 448 

Canal  and  Panama  Railroad  force 

actually  at  work  (about) 35,000 

Canal  and  Panama  Railroad  force, 

American  (about) 5000 

Cost  of  Canal,  estimated  total $375,000,000 

Number  of  men  employed,  about 45,000 

Work  begun  by  Americans May  4,  1904 

Official  date  of  completion Jan.  1,  1915 


Torro  Point  Breakwater,  from  the  Sea.     One  Mile  of  Trestle  Completed 


Gatun  Lower  Locks,  Looking  South,  Showing  Middle  and  Upper  Locks  in  the  Distance 


Gatun  Dam,  East  Section,  Showing  Discharge  from  Suction  Dredge,  with  Hydraulic  Fill,  Looking  West 


Gatun  Upper  Locks,  View  Looking  North,  Showing  Progress  of  Construction  of  Upper  Gates  in  the  East  Chamber 


Point  No.  4,  Near  Gorgona,  Looking  South,  Showing  Completed  Channel,  500  Feet  Wide 


Culebra  Cut,  Looking  North,  Between  Contractor's  Hill  and  Gold  Hill 


Pedro  Miguel  Locks,  East  Chamber  Looking  North 


Culebra  Cut  at  Empire  Suspension  Bridge.     Bottom  of  Cut  to  be  57  Feet  Lower  where  the  Cars  Stand 


Bird's  Eye  View  of  Pedro  Miguel  Locks,  Looking  South 


A  View  Looking  South  from  Top  of  Berm  Crane  at  Pedro  Miguel,  Showing  Stoning  Trestles, 
Berm  Crane  and  General  View  of  Locks 


Miraflores  Upper  Locks.     General  View,  Looking  North   from  Lower  East  Bank 


A  View  of  one  of  the  Berm  Cranes  as  they  appear  at  Miraflores.     They  are  used 
for  Mixing  and  Conveying  Concrete 


Showing  the  Portable  Concrete  Mixers  in  Use  at  Miraflores  Locks 


Automobile  Railway  Bus,  used  by  the  U.  S.  Government  at  Panam 


General  View  of  Panama  Bay  and  Ancon  Hill 


A 


